Cub Cadet i1046 Left wheel will not turn

[TexasL3240]

I was mowing this weekend and the left wheel locked up and would not turn. It started making a grinding noise and stopped turning. I had to pull the hydro bypass rod on the wheel and it began to turn just fine. I know from reading other posts that there is a known issue with the brake locking on cub cadets. Also, from reading the owner manual, i learned that the hydro is sealed from the factory and cannot be repaired or the oil checked or changed. has anyone else had this problem or does anyone have any idea how to fix my problem.

 

[skspurling]

I am not sure if the break locking would be circumvented by pulling the hydro release rod. The break is a plate on the backside that is engaged by a set of calipers pushed together by a set of camed levers. A quick shot of WD40 and a few quick pushes of the pedel will loosen that up. I thought it was bolted to the back side of the output shaft.

Now, the two hydrostatic transmissions are the same thing they supposidly use on a lot of ZTR mowers. All of those are sealed, no maintenance, units. The way parts cost and how much of a pain it is to get them, you are probably better off spending the couple of hundred dollars to buy the complete unit. I tried to fix a rear tine tiller a couple of years ago. It was going to cost me a hundred dollars for a stupid spur gear. 7 gears and I could buy a new model.